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Occupation(s)

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His face looked middle-aged with even, benign features. He wore his dark hair in a queue, hanging down between his shoulders, but otherwise unadorned. At his first appearance, he was dressed like a Malazan sailor in waterproof, faded leathers and a thin, ragged, linen shirt.[2]

His Warren was Mockra[3] and he had the ability to cloud the minds of those who met him. Several people who crossed his path failed to recall his features only moments after leaving his presence.[4]

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Banaschar traveled in haste by ship to Kartool City based on a premonition and arrived on the second day of Istral'fennidahn in 1164 BS. He sent a note to the commander of the Septarch District city guard to inform them of trouble at the Grand Temple of D'rek and met them at the temple's locked doors. Upon his insistence, SergeantHellian, who was temporarily in charge, and her guard squad broke into the temple and found that a massacre of the priests and acolytes had taken place. Before Hellian could question him further, Banaschar disappeared and Hellian and the other guards could no longer remember what he looked like. Embarrassed by the incident, Commander Charl exiled Hellian and her squad to the Malaz 14th Army.[5]

A year later, the once fastidious ex-priest was a lice-ridden drunk sleeping in his now tattered cloak in a vermin-filled room in Malaz City.[6][7] Since his voyage to Kartool, he had traveled to D'rek's temples around the world and found the same slaughter at each.[8][9] He mentioned he had traveled extensively from "Korel to Theft to Mare in the south; from Nathilog to Callows on Genabackis in the east; and, northward, from Falar to Aren to Yath Alban",[10] but it was unclear if this was during the period when he traveled from temple to temple or occurred earlier in his life. At every empty stop, he used the opportunity to loot the temple coffers, and by the time of his return to Malaz City he had roomfuls of coin. Still, he lived in squalor, feeling guilty every time he made use of it. His hoard was secreted away in such a manner that it would never be found if he were to perish.[9]

In Malaz City, he roused every afternoon to visit one of six or more disreputable taverns where he argued with the other customers and drank himself into oblivion.[6] One of his regular stops was at Coop's Hanged Man Inn where he became acquainted with Master SergeantBraven Tooth, the enigmatic Foreigner, and Temper. Banaschar was intrigued by Foreigner, whose accent was unlike any he had heard in his own extensive travels, but he was careful not to pry too deeply into the man's history.[11]

Banaschar was determined to relay a message to Tayschrenn, who had been a Demidrek of the cult before fleeing Kartool and joining the Malazan Empire. The High Mage had recently taken residence in Mock's Hold and Banaschar had sent six messages to the keep with no response.[12] The ex-priest was sure his messages were being intercepted and he was being followed.[12][6] His suspicions were realised when he returned to his room to discover Pearl waiting inside. The Claw interrogated him, and Banaschar revealed that D'rek had slain her entire priesthood for stepping away from the path of righteous worship and choosing the Crippled God over her. In the war among the gods, they had demanded a return to the Elder ways and the power of blood, and D'rek had given it to them. Banaschar desperately wanted to reach Tayschrenn both for the knowledge of the cult's origins contained in the fragments of Gothos' Folly he believed Tayschrenn had stolen from the Grand Temple and in hopes Tayschrenn's prominence could spark a reformation among the world's priesthoods. What had happened to one god's followers could happen to them all. Pearl left Banaschar to inform Empress Laseen of what he learned.[8]

The night that AdjunctTavore Paran brought the 14th Army to Malaz City corresponded with Istral'fennidahn, and Banaschar drunkenly decided to approach Tayschrenn directly himself, leaving Coop's for Mock's Hold. He was unaware that Mallick Rel had learned enough about him from his Black Glove agents that the Jhistal priest had ordered the Claw to assassinate him that night. Claw spy, Saygen Maral, had been waiting at Coop's to point out Banaschar to the Claw assassin team, but decided to complete the job on his own when Banaschar left the bar early. Braven Tooth noted the Claw follow Banaschar out and sent Mudslinger and Gentur to eliminate him, but they did not succeed.[13] The ex-priest pushed through the crowds near the docks using Mockra to ease the way, and as it was once again the night of the Worm, felt the return of his former sensitivities to magic. Before the Claw could slip a poisoned blade into Banaschar's back, he was himself slain by an enraged Hellian. The 14th Army sergeant had slipped into the city on her own looking for alcohol when she recognised the priest who had led to all her recent misfortune. She quickly placed Banaschar 'under-arrest' and dragged him into Smiley's to answer questions and buy her a drink.[14] The two eventually exited Smiley's in a drunken stupor just as Fiddler, Gesler, and Stormy passed on the street outside with Legana Breed. The 14th Army officers safely brought them back through the angry mobs on the waterfront to the 14th Army's ships.[15]

Later, Tayschrenn revealed to Shadowthrone that he was fully aware of Banaschar's activities. Even the ship Banaschar had hired to take him to Kartool was secretly the High Mage's own. But unlike his "old friend", Tayschrenn was still a member of the cult. When D'rek had come to slay him, Tayschrenn had "talked her out of it."[16]

Banaschar bankrolled the Bonehunters after their exile by Empress Laseen, as he had access to the Temple of D'rek's 'bottomless' coffers. He was attached to Adjunct Tavore's personal staff, under the pretence of a counsellor, however his constant drunken state hindered his role. Banaschar travelled with the Bonehunters into exile from the Malazan Empire to Letheras to tackle the Edur threat.

Banaschar was now the last living High Priest of D'rek, the Mistress of Decay. His last title had been Demidrek Septarch of the Great Temple.[17] Banaschar crossed the Glass Desert with the Bonehunters and due to the death of magic in the area, he was forced into sobriety. He became Tavore's sole source of strength in this crossing, feeding her the words to take the next step.

"Yet the truth of things was never as interesting as the mystery preceding the revelation, and Banaschar had come to appreciate his own ignorance. In other matters, after all, he knew far too much – and what had that availed him?"